Burglar-alarm.



G. F. LEE.

BURGLAR ALARM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1913 1,070,969. 4 Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

CHARLES FREMONT LEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BURG-LAR-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Application filed March 29, 1913. Serial No. 757,607.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Burglar-Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in alarms and has particular application to an audible alarm device designed to be operated from the door knob in the turning movement thereof to open the door.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide an audible alarm device which will be suspended from the door knob and which will maintain its normal position independently of the turning of the knob under the action of gravity and wherein by means of an actuatlng device movable in the turning of the knob relatively to the alarm or signal, the latter will be rendered operative when the knob is rotated to open the door.

It is also my purpose to provide a device of the class described which will be found especially useful as a burglar alarm so that in the event of the door knob being rotated by a person with malicious intent, the alarm will be sounded and so warn the occupants of the dwelling or other structure in which the device is installed of the attempted entrance. v

Furthermore, I aim to provide an alarm of the type set forth which may be readily applied to and removed from the door knob and which will embrace the desired features of simplicity, etliciency, durability and convenience coupled with cheapness of cost in manufacture and marketing.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an alarm device and key retainer whereby an alarm will be sounded in the event of an unauthorized person attempting to effect an entrance and by means of which the key in the lock of the door on the inner side of the latter will be held in the keyhole in such manner as to prevent the displacement thereof.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth in and falling within the scope of the claims. y

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 v thereof formed with is a view in elevation of an alarm device constructed in accordance with the present invention, the same being shown as suspended from a door knob. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the device detached from the door knob and with the audible signal removed.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, the numeral 1 designates a lock casing designed to be applied to a door while 2 indicates a shank passed through the casing and controlling the latch therein, such shank being adapted for rotary or turning movement and is provided at its opposite extremities with knobs 3 whereby the same may be conveniently manipulated.

My improved alarm device and key holder is indicated as an entirety by the letter A and is designed to be suspended from the shank 2 of the hub of the knob 3 on the inner side of the door, while the audible alarm maintains a normal position under the action of gravity and is designed to be actuated by an operating means operable in the turning movement of the door knob. In the present instance, the device A comprises a substantially U-shaped clip 4 designed to embrace the shank 2 of the hub of the door knob 3 on the inner side of the door and having the free extremities of the limbs alining openings through-which is passed a bolt 5 provided at one end with a manipulating head 6 and having the free end thereof threadedly engaging nut 7, the bolt serving to tighten the clip upon the shank or hub of the respective knob 3, as the case may be. Suitably fastened to the interconnecting member of the U-shaped clip 4 as by a bolt 8 or the like is the horizontal flange 9 of a cross piece 10 formed with a vertically disposed flange 11 depending from one edge of the horizontal flange. Pivotally connected to the vertical flange 11 of the cross piece between the ends of such flange and depending therefrom in alinement with the .U-shaped clip is a strip or plate 12 and suitably fastened to such strip or plate adjacent to the lower end thereof is an audible alarm formed, in the present instance, of a bell 13 of the spring actuated tapper type, such bell being provided with a push button 14 projecting toward the lower extremity of the plate 12 and adapted, when moved inwardly, to permit the tapper to be actuated under the action of the spring and so cause the sound ing of the bell. It will be seen that when the U-shaped clip a is clamped to the shank 2 of the hub of the respective knob 3, the plate or strip 12 will mantain a true vertical posi tion incident to the weight of the bell 13, while the latter will remain in its normal position under the action of gravity.

In the present instance, the operating means for the audible signal comprises a cross piece 15 pivotally connected between its ends as at 16 to the lower extremity of the plate or strip 12 and formed with a web 17 lying in face to face contact with the ad jacent portion of the plate 12 and carrying an outwardly extending finger 18 having a concaved inner surface 19 receiving the push button let. Pivotally connected to each end of the cross piece 15 is one extremity of a bar 20 having the opposite end thereof pivotally secured to the upper cross piece 10 as at 21, such bar 20 lying in parallelism with the plate or strip 12 in the normal condition of the alarm device. It will be seen that as the knob is rotated to withdraw the latch, the upper cross piece 10 will swing about its pivotal connection with the strip or plate 12, while the latter will remain in a true vertical plane under the weight of the audible signal. In the swinging movement of the upper cross piece 10, a similar motion will be imparted to the lower cross piece whereby the finger 18 will be rocked with the efiect to push the button 14 in wardly and so cause the bell to sound. It will be noted that the push button will be removed to release the bell tapper when the door knob is rotated in either direction, incident to the connections between the upper and lower cross pieces.

In the present instance, my invention is in the nature of a combined alarm and key retainer and for this purpose the strip or plate 12 is formed with an elongated slot 22 alining with the keyhole in the lock casing 1 and designed to receive the shank of the key is, the head of the key being spaced apart from the adjacent face of the strip I 12 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The numeral 23 designates a keeper composed, in this form of my invention, of a single length of wire bent upon itself between its ends, thence bent at right angles to itself to form a vertically disposed head 2 1 and horizontally arranged limbs 25 passed through apertures 26 formed in the plate or strip 12 at opposite sides of the slot 22 therein, the free extremities of the limbs being bent downwardly as at 27, to prevent accidental displacement of the keeper. By means of this construction, it will be seen that when the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 and the head of the key disposed in a horizontal plane, the head 24 of the keeper will drop into the head of the key and so hold the latter against removal from the lock.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, mode of operation and manner of employing my invention will be readily apparent.

It will be seen that I have provided what may be termed a door knob alarm or signal which may be readily applied to any door knob and removed therefrom and which, when in applied position, will respond immediately to the turning of the knob so as to advise the occupants of the dwelling or other structure in which the device is installed of the presence of persons at the door.

While I have herein shown and described one preferred form of my invention by Way of illustration, I desire to have it understood that I do not limit or confine myself to the precise details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a door knob adapted for rotary movement, of an alarm device comprising a substantially U-shaped clip designed to encircle the hub of a door knob, a cross piece rigidly connected to said clip, a plate pivotally connected to said cross piece and depending therefrom, an audible alarm carried by said plate and maintaining a normal position under the action of gravity, and operating means associated with said clip, cross piece and plate and adapted to move relatively to said plate in the turning movement of the door knob to actuate the alarm, said operating means comprising a cross piece pivotally connected to the lower extremity of said plate, bars each having one end pivotally connected to the lower cross piece at one side of said plate and the upper end pivotally connected to said first cross piece at the respective side of the plate, and a finger carried by said lower cross piece and having a concaved lower surface engaging the operating member of said audible alarm.

The combination with a door knob adapted for rotary movement, of an alarm device comprising a substantially U-shaped clip designed to encircle the hub of the door knob, a cross piece rigidly connected to said clip, a plate pivotally connected to said cross piece and depending therefrom, an audible alarm carried by said plate and maintaining a normal position under the action of gravity, an operating means connected to said cross piece and plate and adapted to move relatively to said plate in the turning movement of the door knob to actuate the alarm, said plate being formed In testimony whereof I afiix my signature with an elongated slot alining with a keyin presence of two Witnesses.

hole in the lock and adapted to receive the shank of the key, and a keeper carried by CHARLES FREMONT said plate adjacent to said slot and having a Witnesses:

head designed to engage the head of the ke B. F. MORAN, to hold the latter against removal. A. M. BECK.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

